The Washington critic., 1887-12-23
TOPICS OF THE DAY.
"Gath's" Gossip Concerning the AstOr
and Fish Families.
MRS. CLEVELAND OUT SHOPPING
The Celebrated McGarrahan Claim
Senators Who Build Houses.

rahan is about the same as when l saw
him first twelve years ago. Although
fifty-nine, he looks no more than forty.
He is stout and chunky, with a pleasant,
,mooth-shaven face, blue eyes, short
iair, and smile that in woman would
De called very sweet. He always
'resses well in black, but tells me he is
beginning to get hard up. lie made n
good deal of money in San Francisco
}ealing in liquors and groceries at whole
,alc during the gold excitement period,
md from his accumulation he is said to
have been living ever since. When he
succeeds with his claim he is going to
have n book written. He says it is u
romantic story, and one that, with the
disclosures he would make, would
nstonish the country. But he must first
win his long fight. He says he's going
to do it--that he hasn't spent his fortune
aud thirty years of his life in Washing
ton for nothing.
s%y
Says "Gath" in his last New York let
ter tor the Cincinnati Enquirer: We
have recently lost here two estimable
women, the wife of John Jacob Astor
md mother of our late Minister to Italy,
and the wife of Hamilton Fish. Mrs.
Fish was rather peculiarly derived
New Yorker When the United States
Bank was organized both its president
and cashier were taken from South
Carolina and removed to Philadelphia,
where the bank was established. The
.ashier was Member of Congress
named Kean. and becoming identified
with fiscal and commercial interests in
Inc North, his family remained here
about, and their homestead became the
I'D mansion of Governor WIN. Livings-
ton, at Elizabeth, New Jersey, which was
occupied by the Governor ut the time.
Mrs. Fish always regarded Elizabeth as
home, and her brother, John Kean, who
resided there, and her nephew are both
Republicans. As for Hamilton Fish,
his father, Nicholas Fish, was the init
mate friend of Hamilton, and for some
lime on Washington's staff. The Astor
family hero leads, not exactly the soS
cisty, but the self-respect of tha city.
That is to say, as people refine them
selves and aspire toward a good and
modest example they think of john
time of the first Astor the successive ad-
ministrations were all Republican or
Anti-F Federalists, and the employees and
associates of Astor, such as Halleck, the
poet, and Washington Irving, were of
the Madisonian and Van Buren, party.
John Jacob Astor, whose father was q
highly accomplished scholar, became a
Republican, and his son had the
moral courage to run for the State
Legislature and finally for Congress.
Other persons were willing to spend more
money, however, to reach Congress than
even Astor, and think it probable that
Waldorf Astor lost the place through
bis scruples rather than his economy.
He became Minister to Rome, and will
be the great Astor of the future. Both
Messrs. Astor and Fish are now aged men
and wifeless, and the mere possession
of financial independence is but little
relief to the pains of widower's bed
and hearth.
~
Yesterday, says the Washington cor.
respondent of the st. Louis Globe-DemO
erat in recent letter, they showed me
curious document at the White Houst
"a bond which the President had just
signed for his steward, probably the
first bond ever signed by President tc
.nable the purveyor of the Executive
Mansion TO enter on his duties. 1t was
ali carefully filed in in Mr.. Cleveland's
delicate and rather dainty hand, and il
t he he, stated, in non-committa
erms, tina; his real estate in the Dis
.rjct Of Columbia was worth "more thar
S3o,oo0," and his personal property
more than 100000" So the Presi
lent is worth "more than" $4,000 in
Washington, not counting his Alban,
and Buffalo Investments and Mrs. Cleve
lands real estate in Omaha.
~
Says the Chicago 1ribune's Washing
ton correspondent: "When George Ma
son, the father of the Virginia Bill o
Rights, advanced us an argumen
against the Constitution that it provided
for class of officials who, from thei
long residence at the Capital, woul,
become so attached to the enjoymen
of power that they would build house,
for themselves at the seat of Govern
ment, and so build upa class of dig
archists,' he made prediction that ha
not fallen far short Of truth. The sena
tors who have built houses for them
selves in Washington number now wei
on toward fifty. A house that will d,
for Congressman will not answer for
Senator. A larger establishment is re
quircd, suited to the wider and more di
verse character of his official response
bilities. A Congressman can be seer
almost any day in his seat in the House
The customs Of the Senate rather forbi,
such familiarity and hedgcrhe Senate
about with exclusive barriers. So it i
that all the Senators desire to havo larg
houses, in which they can have conven
lent offices. The first and principa
room in Senator Edmunds' fine ncy
house is his Office, and this is true O
most Of the Senators who have bull
houses in Washington"
s*s
It has long been the habit of the ladie
OF the bon ton residing in the city to O.
to New York or Philadelphia to do al
their shopping. Mrs. Cleveland, how
ever, has set the fashion of patronizin
local merchants whose business has, il
consequence, received no inconsiderabl
impetus. Not long ago the "first lad,
of the land' discovered a very tastefu
milliner, ON whom she at once bestowe,
her patronage. The Mrs. Clevelan,
bonnet" was bewitching affair of scar
let silk braids, ribbons and flowers, ant
was exhibited with much pride by tn,
milliner to her other customers. As
result there are now scores of simila
bonnets to be seen on the Avenue an,
pleasant day worn ~ ol1 middle ouo,